Season of Rebirth
by pyro-pixiechik
Summary: No one ever found Haruhi's body. So, as a reminder of what happened, they disbanded. But three years later, an invitation arrives and they all go to Kyoto. There, they meet a girl with a strange resemblence to her. But she's dead...right?
1. Chapter 1: Empty

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club. But I wish Kyoya were mine…

**Season of Rebirth**

Chapter 1: Empty

After that horrible accident in Okinawa, the Host Club disbanded. Their customers were distraught at this, but they understood perfectly. Even if they stayed together, the club would never remain the same.

How could it be the same, when their beloved Haruhi was gone?

That trip to Okinawa had ended with a terrible loss. After all, they never did find her body. Her father was beside himself with rage and grief, and threatened to sue every member for losing his beloved daughter. They didn't blame him; they knew they deserved it. But Ranka never came around to it. Then they heard from Kyoya that he had committed himself to rehab for alcohol abuse. They felt so guilty that they disbanded. For even though she had loved the Host Club, it was because of their negligence that cost Haruhi her life.

Haruhi's funeral was grand. But there was no body inside the casket. One by one, each member stepped forward to speak their words. Tamaki came first, tears in his eyes.

"My precious Haruhi…I hope you're happy with your mother in heaven now. I-I'm sorry I couldn't save you, and I hope you will forgive me."

Hikaru and Kaoru came next.

"We're sorry we gave you such a hard time. You were more than a toy to us. You were like a sister that we never had, and we hope you're happy."

Then came Hunny and Mori.

"Haru-chan, thank you for always playing with me. I'll never forget, Haru-chan…"said Hunny, before giving into tears.

"I hope you find happiness, Haruhi," said Mori, comforting his cousin.

Kyoya just stood there, and waited for everyone to leave before speaking to the casket.

"Haruhi…I wish you were here for me to say this, but…your debt has been paid off. I…"

Kyoya found it hard to talk as he tried to force his tears back.

"I hope you forgive me, wherever you are."

Tears fell rapidly from his eyes, not being able to hold them back any longer. With that, he turned away from the casket, and went home.

**End of Chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 2: Correspondance

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.

Season of Rebirth Chapter 2: Correspondence

Three years had passed since that day. In the Ohtori mansion, a crimson envelope arrived. The head Ohtori, Yoshio, opened it to read.

_Dear Yoshio,_

_Hello again. This is Kazuhiko. I hope you and your family are well. I am writing to inform you of my daughter's debut, in which she will be presented to society. Since you are so very well connected with many of the venerable families, I thought you might be able to help search for potential suitors to attend my daughter's debut. They will, of course, be staying at my estate in Kyoto._

_Best regards,_

_Kazuhiko Yamazaki_

The elder Ohtori sat in thought, pondering the letter. It was from one of his earliest colleagues and it certainly surprised him. He certainly didn't know about Kazuhiko's daughter. But then again, they rarely contacted each other. He supposed he should help out his old friend, as Kazuhiko was quite a well-known architect who designed several of his buildings. He knew exactly who to send, and went to his third son's room. It was about time that Kyoya chose his bride.

-At the Same Time-

Another letter, this time in a blue envelope, arrived at the Hitachiin mansion. The twins' mother, Yuzuha, opened it to read.

_Dear Yuzuha,_

_Hey there, it's Izumi. It's been years, hasn't it? I wanted to let you know that my daughter's 18__th__ birthday is coming up in about a month, and I'd like you to design several formal gowns for her to wear to her debut. As payment, you and your family are invited to come to the ball._

_Sincerely,_

_Izumi _

Yuzuha stared at the letter. _My, time has flown, hasn't it? _she thought. _Didn't even know she had a daughter. _She'd make the dresses, of course, but she and her husband wouldn't go. She had a better idea and went off to find her twin sons.

In his bedroom, Kyoya dialed his best friend's number and waited for him to pick up. He was about to hang up when he heard an answer.

"Hello?"

Kyoya sighed.

"Tamaki? It's me?"

"Kyoya? What is it? I'm about to enter a meeting?"

"One of my dad's old business partners has invited me and a few guests to attend his daughter's debut."

Silence.

"I can't do it. I'm sorry."

"Tamaki, please. He's one of Japan's top architects, and I'm sure we can benefit-"

"Shut up!" Tamaki nearly shouted. "How many times do I have to say this? None of that matters anymore! Not after-"

"Tamaki! Listen to yourself! You have to let her go. She wouldn't want us to suffer on her account. You know her more than anyone, you should know this! If she were still here, she'd be disappointed in us."

There was another long silence, followed by a sigh on the other end.

"You're right, Kyoya. I'm sorry."

"So, I take it you agree to come with me and the others?"

"Others?"

"Why, Hikaru, Kaoru, Hunny, and Mori, of course. Not that they know yet. It would be like a Host Club reunion of sorts. Just like old times."

"Yeah…just like old times. We'll all be together again…"

Tamaki's voice nearly broke as he hung up. Kyoya sighed again as he hung up as well. Tamaki's last words hung in the air.

_"We'll all be together again…"_

_If only that were true, _he thought, lying down on the bed and closing his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting

Disclaimer: I don't own Ouran.

Hey everyone! I'm glad this fic is doing well. I know it's depressing now, but it'll get happier, so bear with me here. Alright, time for chapter 3. This chapter is gonna be longer so enjoy!

Season of Rebirth Chapter 3: Meeting

The former Host Club arrived at the Kyoto estate in the early afternoon. They walked up the stairs that led to the huge mansion, marveling at its size. Kyoya looked up just in time to see a flash of blue near the balcony on the third floor. But just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Kyoya shrugged it off. It was probably a reflection. As Tamaki raised his hand to knock on the door, it opened, and they were greeted by a young man who looked no older than 25.

"Ah, good afternoon. My sister saw you coming and informed me of your arrival. You must be the ones that Otou-san invited," he said.

"Yes, it was an invitation for your sister's debut, I believe," said Kyoya.

A hint of annoyance appeared in the young man's eyes before it disappeared.

"Yes, that's correct. Now, please, come in. Akimi will have prepared tea and cakes for us. I'm sure you're tired from traveling," he said, leading them inside.

The door closed and they all followed the young man down the long hallway. Making sure to keep their voices low, they began to talk amongst themselves.

"Kyoya-senpai, what's all this about? I didn't know the rest of you guys were invited as well! I thought you guys were coming along just for the sake of it!" Hikaru whispered in annoyance.

"Hikaru, Kyoya-senpai explained it all on the way here. His dad is friends with the guy that lives here. It only makes sense he would be invited," said Kaoru, looking wearily at his twin.

"Besides, don't you think inviting everyone would produce more…interesting results?" said Kyoya, pushing up his glasses.

The twins flinched a little. Apparently, he had something in mind. It seemed that the Shadow King still lived.

Meanwhile, Hunny could barely keep his voice down.

"Did you hear? There's gonna be cake!" he said, unable keep still on his cousin's shoulders.

The taciturn man only nodded, as they continued toward the living room. Had they been paying any attention to their surroundings, they would have noticed the girl in the blue dress peering down at them from the third floor landing before turning away.

They finally reached the spacious and lavishly furnished living room. The large mahogany coffee table was already set with beautiful floral teacups, a matching teapot, and small plates. In the center was an exquisite three-tiered tray with assorted small cakes.

"Please, take a seat. Help yourself," offered the young man as he sat down.

They seated themselves on the comfortable red suede sofas, and started pouring themselves tea.

"I guess now would be a perfect time for us to introduce ourselves," said the young man, and looked over everyone's shoulder to the archway they just came through. "My name is Koichi Yamazaki."

Tamaki was about to open his mouth to comment on the rudeness of not looking at them when he was introducing himself when Kyoya shook his head. Really, his friend still hadn't changed. Just as Kyoya was about to take a sip of tea, a soft voice spoke up.

"And my name is Akimi Yamazaki. I hope you will all find it comfortable here."

Kyoya turned his head, followed by Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru, and finally Hunny and Mori. Approaching them was the girl who had peered at them. She had dark hair down to her shoulders, which was parted in the middle and pulled back and tied with a blue ribbon. Her dark hair contrasted nicely with her pale skin, and she was wearing a strapless blue dress accompanied by a filmy blue shoulder wrap and silver blue sandals. She held a long, thin, dark blue velvet case. Though she looked fragile, her posture was confident.

Akimi walked over to them and joined her brother. Kyoya couldn't help but notice that there was something strangely familiar about her. Tamaki was struck breathless. Hikaru and Kaoru now understood why Akimi's mother asked their own mother to design gowns for her. Mori gave her one of his rare smiles. Hunny grinned at her happily.

"Where are you going, sis?" asked Koichi with a smirk, "You look more dressed up than usual."

"Tonight's the musical showcase at my school, as you very well know. I need to dress formally for my performance," Akimi said, pouring herself a cup of tea.

She turned to the ex-hosts and addressed them.

"So, you must be the ones that Otou-san invited."

She sighed and took a sip from her cup.

"He never knows when to give up. I apologize for him dragging you all into this."

"Not at all, Akimi-san. We are honored to be invited to your debut, and to meet you as well," said Kyoya, with a slight bow.

_Interesting,_ he thought. _They're brother and sister, but they look nothing alike._

"I am pleased to hear that," said Akimi, now reaching for a small cake. "You are Ohtori Kyoya, am I correct? Third son of Ohtori Yoshio, one of the most influential business tycoons in the world."

Akimi looked up from her cake to see surprised looks all around her. She looked faintly amused as she set her plate down.

"Otou-san and your father were old colleagues, as I'm sure you know, Ohtori-san. In fact, Otou-san was his main architect back then. He told me. That's how I know of you," she said.

Kyoya lifted an eyebrow. _Strange. Otou-san didn't even know about her, _he thought.

Akimi took a bite from her cake, then turned her attention to the twins.

"You two are Hitachiin Hikaru and Hitachiin Kaoru, right?" she asked, eyeing them both. "Okaa-san modeled for your mother once. That was when they became friends, I believe."

Hikaru blushed a little when Akimi looked from Kaoru to him.

"Our mother designed you the gowns that your mother asked for. They're in our extra suitcase so they wouldn't get ruined. I hope you like them," he mumbled.

"Thank you, Hikaru-san," said Akimi.

It was lucky that she chose that moment to turn to speak with her brother, because right then, all the Host Club's eyes darted to Hikaru. Hunny even stopped chewing his cake and swallowed. What Akimi had said had to have been a lucky guess. It just had to be. There couldn't have been any other explanation for it. Only one person in the world could have ever told the twins apart. But she was gone now.

Akimi now focused her attention on Tamaki, who gave her his flashy "Host Club" smile.

"And I know who you are, of course. How could anyone not know a Suoh when they see one?" she was saying. "It's an honor to meet you at last."

Tamaki blushed at her words.

"No, the honor is all mine, Akimi-hime. I have never met such an elegant young lady such as yourself," he said.

Hikaru and Kaoru rolled their eyes. Really, _Otou-san _had not changed a bit from his Host Club days.

"My, how charming you are. You must be quite the womanizer, Suoh-san. You must be popular with the ladies," Akimi said.

Finishing her cake, she turned to Hunny and Mori.

"And you must be Haninozuka and Morinozuka. Heirs to the famous martial arts clans, right? I have only attended one of your competitions, but it was quite the show, and I rather enjoyed it."

Turning to Mori, she said, "I hope you will find our backyard useful for your kendo training, Morinozuka-san."

"Thank you," said Mori.

Then Akimi turned to the cute loli-shota.

"I hope we can be friends and have a lot of fun together, Haninozuka-san," she said brightly.

"Okay, Aki-chan! Wanna play with me after we're done eating cake?" said Hunny with excitement.

Akimi looked at the grandfather clock and sighed and stood up.

"Unfortunately, I can't play right now. I have to leave to go to the music showcase. The conductor is expecting me to be there in a half hour's time," she said regretfully.

"Just out of curiosity, Akimi-san, what is it that you play?" asked Kyoya.

"Oh, I play the flute," she replied, indicating the long velvet case she held.

Before Akimi left, she gave them all a warm smile, then left through the archway into the hall. Koichi and the Host Club were stunned. He turned to them.

"You really must have a way with women," he said, clearly impressed.

"Why do you say that, Koichi-san?" asked Kyoya.

"Because Akimi's never trusted men, except for Otou-san and myself. And besides that, I haven't heard her say this much in…well, in forever," Koichi explained.

He seemed to ponder for a moment, before speaking again.

"I must continue packing for my business trip. If you would like, I can take you on a tour of the house and show you your rooms. You must be tired from your trip, after all," he said.

The Host Club barely heard what he was saying as he took them through the house. They were still reeling from what happened a few minutes ago. It wasn't the fact that Akimi had smiled at them; that was normal enough. No, it was the _way _she smiled at them. It was so sweet, so genuine, so…_natural. _And for a moment when she smiled, she looked exactly like…like _her. _But they knew it couldn't be her. People who perished at sea didn't just randomly appear again. So what small hope they had, they shoved aside.

**Chapter 3 End**


	4. Chapter 4: Intention

Season of Rebirth

Chapter 4: Intention

It was late in the evening. The parents of Koichi and Akimi had returned home and greeted each of them warmly, and shortly after, Koichi had left on his business trip. Akimi had called and said she would be home shortly. Dinner was surprisingly a casual affair, so very unlike the dinners that Kyoya and Tamaki were used to. The father, Kazuhiko, was very friendly and the mother, Izumi, was very cheerful.

"So, Kyoya-kun. How are you finding your visit here?" Kazuhiko asked.

"It is very comfortable here, thank you," said the bespectacled young man. "Your daughter is very pleasant."

"She's truly something else. I really have never met anyone quite as elegant, yet confident, as Akimi," Tamaki added.

Kazuhiko and Izumi looked rather pleased to hear this, though also a little surprised.

"I am very happy you think so, Tamaki-kun. It is…rare that anyone compliments her," said Izumi.

"But why, though? She seems like a very nice and graceful person," said Kaoru.

"And she seems very talented," Hikaru added.

"She's so cute, too! Just like an angel!" said Hunny. "Right, Takashi?"

"Ah," said Mori, nodding.

Izumi sighed and looked at her husband before deciding to speak.

"Akimi…is a very special girl. She's every bit as elegant and confident as you say she is. She's also the kindest person you could ever hope to meet. Any man would be proud to offer her their hand. At one point, men even fought over her," she began.

"So, why choose us?" asked Kyoya. "Why not the men that live here?"

"She wasn't interested in them. And she doesn't really trust men. She seems to fear them almost. She won't even say much to male family members. The only men she'll really ever talk to are Koichi and myself. I wanted her to overcome her mistrust of men, and in the end, she agreed only if the suitors were from families I knew of," Kazuhiko explained.

"I understand your intent, Kazuhiko-san, but forcing her to choose a suitor is going a little far, isn't it?" asked Tamaki.

"Maybe, Tamaki-kun, but we want someone to identify with her, to understand her," said Izumi. "All her past suitors have failed to understand her, and I think that's why she doesn't trust men."

"I don't understand though. Why no one will understand her, I mean," said Kaoru.

"And how do you know if we will understand her?" asked Hikaru.

Kazuhiko sighed.

"My daughter has always had a rather, well, unique outlook and opinion than what is usual for people of our class," he said.

"What'cha mean?" asked Hunny.

"Well, perhaps it is better if you see for yourself," said Izumi, beginning to clear the table.

"See what for who's self?"

Kyoya looked over his shoulder to see Akimi walking into the dining room. In her arms was what looked like a large gift basket, atop of which sat the blue velvet case.

"Ah, welcome home, Akimi. Come and join us. You must be exhausted from the showcase," said Kazuhiko.

"Yes, I am a little tired, Otou-san. But it was worth all that practice," said Akimi, removing her sandals and placing the velvet case on a small end table.

She looked around.

"Where's Onii-chan?" she asked

"Don't you remember? Koichi has that business trip to Hokkaido, and he won't be back until two weeks," Izumi reminded.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot!" she said. "What will I do? It will be so dull without Onii-chan around."

"Don't worry, Aki-chan! I'll be your brother until Koi-chan gets back!" reassured Hunny. "And so will Takashi, right?"

"Certainly," said Mori.

Akimi smiled at Hunny.

"That's rather sweet of you, Haninozuka-san. Okay, I accept!" she said, taking the empty seat between Hunny and Kyoya.

She showed Hunny the gift basket she had been holding. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was stuffed full of cakes, cookies, pastries, chocolate, and various assorted candies. She laughed as she saw the delighted look on the small blonde's face.

"This is for you, Haninozuka-san, as a gift of my appreciation," she said.

"Yay! Thanks, Aki-chan! Let's share some cake together!" exclaimed Hunny.

"With pleasure," said Akimi with a smile.

Mori smiled faintly as his cousin started chatting animatedly with the dark-haired girl. Both Kazuhiko and Izumi were amazed.

"I don't believe it. She's taken a liking to him," said Kazuhiko.

He looked at Kyoya, Tamaki, and the twins.

"I'm very impressed indeed."

"But couldn't it also be the fact that he looks so much younger than he actually is?" Hikaru pointed out.

"You do have a point, Hikaru-kun," Izumi agreed. "But still, we have never seen our daughter this talkative before. Koichi was right. You all do seem to have a way with women."

Kyoya looked over at Hunny and Akimi. Indeed, it seemed as if the cute loli-shota had charmed her. He studied the girl more closely now that she was sitting next to him, although at the moment, she was still talking lively to Hunny. He had to admit, she really was very beautiful. And as he was thinking this, Akimi turned and noticed him staring at her. To his slight dismay, she smiled shyly and a hint of color appeared on her cheeks before she quickly turned back to Hunny and Mori.

_She finds me attractive? Interesting, indeed, _he thought.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see his best friend glancing at Akimi as well.

"She's like a princess, isn't she? You think so too, right?" asked Tamaki.

Kyoya shrugged. It wasn't anything new. The idiot still thought all girls were like princesses. Although, he had to admit that Akimi far surpassed other girls he was familiar with. He wouldn't mind consorting with her. Not that he'd tell Tamaki that, seeing as his best friend was eyeing her as well.

"Oh, come on now. I saw you looking at her," Tamaki pouted.

"Perhaps I was, perhaps I wasn't," said Kyoya.

Then he noticed that Hikaru and Kaoru had been listening in. Kyoya rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Tono. Both you and Kyoya-senpai wanna be the one she chooses, right?" said Hikaru mischieviously.

"So do we," said Kaoru.

"How about we play a game? Whoever can get Akimi to choose them will marry her," they said in unison.

Before either Kyoya nor Tamaki could reply, Akimi pushed her chair back, and stood up, yawning.

"Aw, you tired, Aki-chan?" asked Hunny.

"Yes, quite. Tonight's performance was very tiring, Haninozuka-san," she said.

"You don't have to call me that, Aki-chan! You can call me Hunny!" he said, and gestured to his cousin. "And you can call him Mori!"

"Alright…Hunny," said Akimi. "Oh, would you like to help me with breakfast tomorrow? I'll be making strawberry pancakes and chocolate chip waffles."

"Yay, of course I'll help! And so will Takashi, right?" said Hunny.

"Of course," said Mori.

Akimi glanced at everyone else and smiled before patting Hunny on the head and finally leaving. There was that smile again, that made her look so much like _her._

"You know, at this rate, she'll end up choosing either Hunny or Mori," observed Kyoya, getting up and heading upstairs as well.

"As if! Hunny-senpai is just using his Host Club tactics on her," said Hikaru, looking after Kyoya in disbelief as he got up also.

"Wait up!" said Kaoru, when his twin headed upstairs.

Tamaki followed them as well, devising a plan to win Akimi over.

Kazuhiko and Izumi looked at each other once the others were gone, and then they began to talk seriously about their guests, and more importantly, their daughter. They had to be especially quiet, because Akimi overhearing simply would not do. She absolutely could not find out about their plan that Kazuhiko had spent so long on. After all, he didn't randomly invite them to stay at his mansion on the mere whim that Akimi would marry one of them. If it had only been that reason, then he would have invited anyone, not those particular young men.

Meanwhile, Akimi laid on her bed and stared up at the stars painted all over her ceiling and walls. She sighed. She didn't show it, but the boys made her feel a little uncomfortable. But at the same time, there was something familiar about them also, like they were long lost friends.

"Oh, nonsense! I haven't seen them before in my whole life!" she said to herself.

But she couldn't truly believe that. After all, her life as she knew it began only three years ago. Try as she might, she could not remember what happened before that time.

_I shouldn't dwell on the past, _she thought, before finally closing her eyes.

**End of Chapter 4**


End file.
